Managing Director Simon Anderson, (centre) with Chief Executive Officer Heath Young (left of Simon), Senior Group Financial Controller Mary Derksen (right of Simon) and the executive team
Managing Director Simon Anderson, (centre) with Chief Executive Officer Heath Young (left of Simon), Senior Group Financial Controller Mary Derksen (right of Simon) and the executive team
Real estate, says Simon Anderson, managing director of the longest-standing real estate company in the Bay of Plenty, is all about "people".
"Of course it is about property, but when I look for potential in someone who wants to be a real estate agent, I don't look at what they know about the market, or interest rates or analytics, I look to what sort of person they are.
"If you are in real estate you have to understand and enjoy all aspects of property but more importantly you have to understand all aspects of people. Be able to read people, empathise, be a support for people in some very life changing moments and help them find solutions. A good real estate agent has to know the market, know their location, and have connections in the community. But above all you have to love people."
Be able to read people, empathise, be a support for people in some very life changing moments
The board of Realty Services Limited - which operates EVES and Bayleys across the Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Taranaki - recently appointed Simon as managing director.
Heath Young is now chief executive officer and Mary Derksen is senior group financial controller.
The appointments bring more than 35 years of real estate experience into the leadership team.
Simon Anderson Managing Director
Simon Anderson and his dog, Beau.
Simon Anderson is known for wearing suits - he has six. He doesn't have a lucky suit - he's not superstitious but his favourite suit is one he got made in Vietnam. He likes to put his suits on, but he also likes to take them off.
"I love the people side of the business, the networking and socialising and events. But when I get home I love to strip off and put on my old Jimmy's Pie T-shirt and denim shorts, and that's the private me."
Once he has the suit off, he's quite a private person. His house on the hill in Pyes Pa has no one looking in. He potters around, cutting down gorse.
"It's peaceful, I get home, change and grab Beau to head out and do things around the property.
Beau is his 7-month-old labrador.
Simon Anderson with his three daughters
Simon's other happy place is his bach in Lake Rotoiti. He loves spending time with his three daughters who all attended Aquinas College and now have their own careers. One is an accountant at PWC in Hamilton, another studying law in Wellington, and another in her fourth year of medical school in Hamilton. He brought them up as a single parent and his parenting and mentoring talents are what he is passionate about at work too.
"It's rewarding for me to watch people grow, taking on new skills and going from a sales manager like Karen Worley has, to a top executive strategic thinker. I love to build people up and release them to do their thing, just like you release your children into the world I guess."
He likes movies and reading - especially dog training books at the moment. His favourite musicians are Elton John and Freddie Mercury.
Although he thinks of himself as quite a serious person, he is known for his hilarious sense of humour - he can regale 'war stories' from years in real estate. His favourite tale is when a young real estate agent fell asleep during a quiet open home. The agent woke to a note saying, 'We didn't want to wake you, but we took a look around.'
"That real estate agent could have been really embarrassed. But he wasn't - he called them, took them around again, and they ended up buying that home," Simon said.
He went to Japan to watch the rugby. He appreciates that his role offers him lots of opportunities. But all he wants really is world peace.
"When the girls ask me what I want for my birthday or Christmas I say this to them every time. World peace."
Heath Young Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer Heath Young
Following a career as a chartered accountant in a range of industries spanning 18 years, with time spent in London, Auckland and the Bay of Plenty, Heath joined the Realty Group as chief operating officer in 2015.
His recent promotion to CEO means he is responsible for delivering the company's strategic and operational plans, and that's a position which fits Heath's expertise and personality seamlessly.
Mount Maunganui has a great community spirit
"I enjoy the variety of the role and working with people across all aspects of the entire business. Real estate is a people business and I enjoy the culture and the values that exist in this business," he says.
When asked what qualities he valued the most in the people in his team he mentions honesty, drive, and initiative, along with an appetite for change.
Heath lives at the Mount with his wife, their three children and a dog, and he says he wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
"Mount Maunganui has a great community spirit. There is so much for the kids to do, and the beaches are world-class."
Being well travelled, there are a few things he misses from his time in London, such as the ability and ease of travel, especially to Europe, and the culture and history of the city, as well as concerts, football, and shows. But he admits that spending any length of time overseas makes you appreciate coming home to New Zealand.
Heath spent seven years in Auckland as well, although they only intended to stay for two. He says although it was a great place to live, he didn't realise how claustrophobic the traffic and the fast pace of the city was, until we moved to the Bay.
"You can't beat the Bay of Plenty for its beaches, the lifestyle and access to some great outdoors activities such as fishing, mountain biking, and the close proximity to the skiing fields," he says.
When not working, Heath enjoys spending time with the family, fishing, keeping active in the great outdoors, and the odd game of golf when time allows.
Realty Services Limited has welcomed back Mary Derksen from maternity leave, who has recently been appointed as senior group financial controller. She is responsible for all financial aspects of the business and helps further develop the finance team to provide the best service to the wider business.
"I thrive on providing useful reports so that everyone can understand the numbers correctly, ultimately to ensure the best business decisions can be made efficiently. I work closely with the management team to enhance reports so that we maximise profits," she says.
When asked what she loves about numbers, Mary says you can't hide behind them.
"They paint the picture about any situation, and it makes for interesting analysis given we have years of historical data to look back on and interpret."
Mary and husband Chris came to Tauranga three years ago, and they have two young daughters. The family is based in Ōtūmoetai and they love it there because of the community and how central it is to everything. They have just purchased a caravan, and plan to make some more awesome family memories each summer.
Together, they love heading to the Mount in the weekend. Mary says it has a nice relaxed holiday vibe.
"Whether it is having fish and chips down at Pilot Bay or going for a walk up or around the Mount, or heading to a café. There is always something fun to do," she says.
When their eldest daughter Olivia, now 3, was 2 months old, they were living in Auckland and in the process of buying their first house in a tough market. Then a role at Realty Services came up.
"The timing wasn't ideal as I had planned to have the full year of maternity leave, but we knew that opportunities like this don't come up often, especially in Tauranga. My family and I decided to make the move, and I went back to work fulltime when Olivia was 6 months old.
"The decision to move here has really paid off, as we purchased our first home in the sunny Bay of Plenty, and I am now in a great spot in my career."
She says although it may be fairly cliché, it is also accurate that her parents were her biggest teachers.
"From a very young age, Mum showed me and my sister, who is also a chartered accountant and a mother, that you can have a rewarding career and be a mother at the same time."
Karen Worley General Manager EVES Bay of Plenty
General Manager of EVES Bay of Plenty Karen Worley
In the industry since 1986, Karen says she has loved every minute she has spent developing and growing individual salespeople and managers and assisting in strategic plans to grow companies.
"In my role, I assist in developing a strategic plan for growth and profitability of the EVES BOP business, increasing market share and visibility of branches throughout our region. I am also focused on assisting managers in recruitment and retention of salespeople, supporting them in the growth of their people," she says.
"I love the strategic part of my role, working on the business with managers and the executive team, and watching our plans come to fruition."
It's the people that Karen enjoys most about being involved in real estate.
"I love the cut and thrust of the business, doing deals and assisting buyers and sellers to move on with their lives, but more than that I absolutely love the people in the industry. They are motivated, energetic and great to be with. Even in hard markets, these people are great to be around."
Grab the opportunity and have a crack
Karen has six grandchildren and says she is lucky enough to have her son and daughter both living here.
"In fact, they both live within walking distance of where I live so I spend as much time as I can with them. Outside of that I love taking the fish harvester out with my husband Pete," she says.
When we ask Karen what advice she would you give her 18-year-old self, her message is, "You are good enough! Doubt is a horrible thing and not seizing opportunities that are presented because you don't feel good enough means regrets later in life. Grab the opportunity and have a crack!"
Her favourite place in the Bay of Plenty is Matata beach.
"I also love dining out, and the variety of restaurants is great," she says.
Karen and Pete live right at the entrance to the Daisy Hardwick walkway, and she says they are so lucky to be somewhere near water and walks.
"I wouldn't want to change a thing, and couldn't find any place I would love more even if I tried."
David Martin General Manager Business Development
Group Business Development Manager David Martin
For David, this business is much more than a brand, a product, or a mission statement. He says it is the company's culture that makes the real difference.
"The combination of all the things that makes our culture great is why so many people want to join us, and why so many consumers return or refer business to us. That's what I enjoy the most," David says.
"I'm blessed to work with a great group of talented people who care about each other. What we are trying to achieve for our internal customers, our people, is making sure that they have the very best support, systems, processes, leadership and environment to enable them to be as successful as they can be, for themselves and for their families.
"With that, it is about ensuring they have everything they need to best support their customers; the people who expect the right advice, resources, and that real reach which paves the way to a sale of their property."
What people may not know about David is he has a masters in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) as well as a diploma in Clinical Hypnoses.
This began as a personal search to be the best he could be for himself, and it soon became "an obsession" to help others to become the very best they can be.
"The models I use help me to help people truly define what they want their life to look like.
It starts with being honest with where they are at right now, and how to remove or minimise the mental things that sometimes get in the way. That freedom tends to reduce stress, increase potential, and accelerate personal results."
The way property transactions happen in New Zealand is, in my opinion, the best in the world
David, who feels lucky and grateful to live at the Mount, is happily married to his best friend Jules who he says is the bravest person he's ever met.
They have three adult children. Our lovely youngest daughter is 22, lives here in the Bay and is really enjoying her hairdressing career.and Jules also has a maltese fur baby called Tilly who thinks she's human and makes everyone laugh.
"The Mount is our place as we need to be near the water. We love looking at it, the feeling of it, and the energy that comes from it," he says.
David has been involved in the real estate industry for 33 years. He knows exactly how much property means to New Zealanders.
"Of course, it can mean a good financial return. But on a deeper level it means home, family, and personal history for the people we work with. The way property transactions happen in New Zealand is, in my opinion, the best in the world."
Gabriella Troutbeck Group Marketing Manager
Gabriella Troutbeck Group Marketing Manager
No working day is ever the same for Gaby, managing two real estate brands across three regions and three property asset classes. There are multiple strategies and tactics all on the go at once.
"It's a lot of multitasking and juggling. Any day could include a combination of working on new tools or collateral for salespeople, developing brand campaigns, creating tactical parts to campaigns such as copy and advertisements for radio, print, digital, and social, creating video content and guides, reporting, working with suppliers, helping salespeople with high value campaigns or proposals," she says.
"It's basically anything that can help promote the brands, the properties, or our salespeople."
Gaby says she enjoys the challenge of finding new and innovative ways to promote the company's brands, and ways to stay ahead of the competition.
"It's such a satisfying thing to me to start with just an idea or a message, then create copy and artwork and see this finished product in multiple formats rolled out across multiple channels."
Gaby is a driven, fun-loving, creative and thoughtful woman. She is also a bit of a perfectionist.
"My first job out of university was at Bayleys in the Waikato. I lived in Auckland for a while and spent a couple of years in London in a variety of roles, before moving back to Auckland and back to Bayleys, where I was the National Marketing Manager for the commercial division. Then I moved down to Tauranga which has been the best move, both lifestyle and career-wise."
When we ask her what she would choose if she could instantly become an expert in something, she laughs and says that her partner would say that she thinks she is an expert in everything already.
They live in Papamoa, near Coast, and says they wouldn't want to live anywhere else, other than closer to the water.
"It is such a great location especially with the pub, café and supermarket right there, and the Mount is still super close. When not working, she loves getting out and about.
"It is such a beautiful area, especially in the summer! Going to the beach, up or around the Mount, and I've just started getting back into tennis. I also love a good Saturday brunch!"
Group Property Manager Joanna Martinez-Hart
Joanna loves the company so much she has been with it practically since leaving school.
After travelling and living in Paris, she started with EVES Coxhead Associates which became EVES Realty Limited.
"I work for a solid, robust company which traded through three recessions. This has given me a sense of security, so this and the strong family culture is why I am still here. No matter how large we have grown, the company has still maintained its family values."
"From a relatively small business, it has grown to be a real machine."
Joanna worked as a property manager for nine years, then left to have babies and returned to the group as the group rental manager.
She looks after residential property management across the group, including both the Bayleys and EVES brands.
"I'm proud of the wonderful team we have and believe in doing the very best job possible for our landlords and tenants alike. I've been with our business for over 30 years and I am passionate about every area of our group."
With husband Kevin and son Andre who has just returned from overseas (their daughter Francesca lives in London), Joanna lives in central Tauranga in Fourth Ave along with two cats, a girl cat called Ruth and boy cat called Janet. "I love my home."
Executive Assistant Kristin Bainbridge
Executive Assistant Kristin Bainbridge
Having spent more than 10 years working with busy executives and senior directors, Kristin prides herself on providing support to ensure those she works with can perform their roles to the best of their abilities and focus on achieving business goals.
This is her first experience of working in the real estate industry, and managing director Simon Anderson said to her in her first few weeks that every morning she'd wake up and be excited, because anything could happen.
After a year in the role, Kristin fully agrees.
"I work as closely as possible with the two people tasked with directing and leading the business; I have a front row seat to see the decisions they make, the reasons why and the future they are aspiring to. This is by far the most interesting part of my job," she says.
Kristin has spent 11 years working in London, and she enjoyed that she could catch a train or a flight from there and be in Europe in no time, especially remembering summer holidays on Italian beaches.
"I'm a huge fan of tennis and every year we went to Wimbledon. I've queued for tickets, I've camped overnight for tickets, got them in the public ballot, and one year I even snuck in!
This was always my favourite time of year in London, the days spent watching hours and hours of tennis," she says.
"But what I miss most, and think about every day, are my friends. After 11 years I've made some pretty special ones. They are only a phone call away, but I do miss seeing them in person. I definitely do not miss battling my way to and from work every day with the other three million people using London's public transport!"
When Kristin is not working, she likes to spend time with her family. Husband Chris, her 7-year-old daughter Jessie-Rose, and 5-year-old son Blake. She also runs, during the week on the beach and most Saturday mornings you will find her at Parkrun; a weekly free-timed 5km run or walk in the Kopurererua Valley Reserve.
"In May, my sister-in-law and I are planning on running a half marathon together. We are starting a tradition of doing this, and it will be our second year," she says.
Kristin and her family love living in Papamoa Beach. She used to visit the Bay as a teenager and always wanted to live here.
"Chris is from Tauranga and when it became time to move back to New Zealand, there was no question that we wanted to bring our children back here to live. I'm really lucky, because we live exactly where I have always wanted to be."
